Once upon a time , thePink and White Terracesof Lake Rotomahana , New Zealand – a bright - colored cascading band of pools form by silica - rich down payment and volcanic activity – was wide look at the " Eighth Wonder of the World " .
Then , with little warning , it vanished .
In the wake of the prodigious volcanic eruption of New Zealand ’s Mount Tarawera in the other hour of June 10 , 1886 , this immense geologic spectacle was destroyed . Although no longer seeable to the eye , some geologists held onto the promise that it may just be lay to rest and not utterly obliterated , and both the " Wonder " and the eruption have remained the topic of much mystery and equivocalness ever since .
In 2017,researchers stumbled acrossthe diary of the 19th - century geologist Dr Ferdinand von Hochstetter that appear to accurately describe the location of the Pink and White Terraces . Once again , hopes were gamy that this could lead to scientists “ rediscover ” the rough joy .
regrettably , a comprehensive young subject field has conclude this estimate is pretty farfetched – it looks like the Pink and White Terraces are long become .
pen in theJournal of The Royal Society of New Zealand , scientist from GNS Science and the University of Auckland have concluded the languorous coloured bench of Lake Rotomahana are destroyed and lose at the bottom of the lake , just as their previous piece of work in 2016 also concluded .
After recent enquiry based on historical maps posited the theory that the Terraces could have been buried on land by the lake , they decided to discharge up the mystery of the fly Wonder once and for all .
“ We ’ve re - examined all of our findings from several geezerhood ago and have reason out that it is untenable that the bench could be buried on Edwin Herbert Land next to Lake Rotomahana , ” lead author Dr Cornel de Ronde say in astatement .
They reached this determination by drawing on an regalia of information , including historic picture , passe maps , magnetics , mensuration of the water pillar , side - scan sonar imaging , seismal surveys , submersed photography , and resume of geothermal activity under the lake floor .
Their analysis powerfully suggests that the White Terraces were almost completely obliterate by the notable eruption . every bit , their work exhibit how the eruption managed to conjure up the level of the lake by at least 60 metre ( 197 feet ) and its surface area increase by about five times . This flood of body of water then swamped much of the surrounding area , along with remnants of the Pink Terraces , which now lie on the bottom of Lake Rotomahana .
" The destruction of the majority of the Terraces is perhaps not surprising given that the 1886 clap was so vehement it was get word in Auckland and in the South Island , " Dr de Ronde added . " The blow left a 17 - kilometer [ 10 - mile ] foresightful gash through Mount Tarawera and southwestward beneath lake . ”
